Kabbalah

Tamar Frankiel

Description

An insightful exploration of Jewish mysticism—written especially for Christians.

Kabbalah is well known as the foundation of the Jewish mystical tradition, but few are aware that Kabbalah’s spiritual applications extend beyond Jewish life. In this accessible, intelligent guide, Tamar Frankiel, PhD, a leading teacher of Jewish mysticism, demystifies the intricate world of Kabbalah. You will find that the teachings of Kabbalah are not only for Jewish scholars—anyone can incorporate this enduring wisdom into everyday life if they have an open mind and a willing heart.

Unlike the faddish books that discuss Kabbalah as simply a “magical system,” this book discusses the evolution of Kabbalah from its origins in Judaism and gives Christian readers the vocabulary and tools to begin to understand this long-standing mystical tradition. It also explores the similarities and differences between Jewish and Christian mysticism, placing both in a larger and more comprehensive framework.

• Explore the kabbalistic Tree of Life to discover how God is expressed in the world around us.
• Examine your life and discover how it can be understood as part of an unfolding spiritual path.
• Travel through your personal and collective histories to find a more personal perspective on the principles of Kabbalah.
• ... and more

Acknowledgments vii Introduction: A Note on the History of Kabbalah xi Part I: Seeking a New Vision 1 Opening the World of Kabbalah 3 2 Kabbalah and the Image of God 15 Part II: The Unfolding of Creation 3 Divine Mind 33 4 Divine Energies 51 5 Divine Actualization 73 Part III: The Path of Remembering 6 Clearing the Path 95 7 Realizing Your Intent 115 8 Revealing Your Soul 141 Notes 167 Glossary 177 Suggestions for Further Reading 183

Sujets

• mysticism
• Jewish
• Philosophie et théologie
• Cábala
• Jews
• Christian mysticism
• Kabbalah
• Judaism
• Religion
• Tree of Life
• Kabbale

Informations

• Publié par: Turner Publishing Company
• Date de parution: 11 juillet 2011
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781580234856
• Langue: English

Extrait

K ABBALAH
A Brief Introduction for
CHRISTIANS
T AMAR F RANKIEL , P H D
Kabbalah: A Brief Introduction for Christians
2006 First Printing 2006 by Tamar Frankiel
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
For information regarding permission to reprint material from this book, please mail or fax your request in writing to Jewish Lights Publishing, Permissions Department, at the address / fax number listed below, or e-mail your request to [e-mail] .
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Frankiel, Tamar, 1946- Kabbalah : a brief introduction for Christians / Tamar Frankiel.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references. ISBN-13: 978-1-58023-303-3(quality pbk.) ISBN-10: 1-58023-303-1(quality pbk.) 1. Cabala. 2. Cabala and Christianity. I. Title. BM525.F7475 2006 296.1'6-dc22
2006023709
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Manufactured in the United States of America Cover Design: Jenny Buono
For People of All Faiths, All Backgrounds Published by Jewish Lights Publishing A Division of LongHill Partners, Inc. Sunset Farm Offices, Route 4, P.O. Box 237 Woodstock, VT 05091 Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone] www.jewishlights.com
A LSO AVAILABLE IN THIS SERIES
The Jewish Approach to God: A Brief Introduction for Christians by Rabbi Neil Gillman
Jewish Holidays: A Brief Introduction for Christians by Rabbi Kerry M. Olitzky and Rabbi Daniel Judson
Jewish Ritual: A Brief Introduction for Christians by Rabbi Kerry M. Olitzky and Rabbi Daniel Judson
Jewish Spirituality: A Brief Introduction for Christians by Rabbi Lawrence Kushner
C ONTENTS
Acknowledgments
Introduction: A Note on the History of Kabbalah
Part I: Seeking a New Vision
1 Opening the World of Kabbalah
2 Kabbalah and the Image of God
Part II: The Unfolding of Creation
3 Divine Mind
4 Divine Energies
5 Divine Actualization
Part III: The Path of Remembering
6 Clearing the Path
7 Realizing Your Intent
8 Revealing Your Soul
Notes
Glossary
Suggestions for Further Reading
About Jewish Lights
Copyright
A CKNOWLEDGMENTS
M Y OWN PERSONAL DISCOVERY of Kabbalah was not planned in any way. As I look back, I see that strange quality of a spiritual journey-I did not really make decisions about it. I found myself pulled, drawn forward, as if by an ineffable force. Perhaps there is no better example of causation from the future. In a person s life, of course, the future is not yet defined; the actual future depends on one s actions. But the fact that something is there, pulling one forward, is not to be doubted. So it was with my journey into Jewish spirituality, which involved descending (as the mystics say) into the intricate world of Kabbalah.
I am very grateful to God for the direction my life has taken. And I also want to thank those whom God provided along the way to bestow gifts and offer the gentle pushes I needed to move forward.
My professors in graduate studies in history of religions at Miami University and the University of Chicago gave me skills in research and critical thinking that have supported me throughout the years, even though many of them would be surprised at the kinds of treasures I chose to mine with those skills. My rabbinic teachers, many from the Hasidic traditions of Chabad-Lubavitch and Breslov, have been the best guides I could imagine through the concepts of Jewish mysticism because they were willing to teach and reteach basics. They are too many to mention, but I must thank Rabbi Chaim Dalfin, who first taught me Tanya, a classic of Hasidic philosophy; Rabbi Chaim Citron, who modeled a meaningful approach to textual analysis; and Rabbi Avrohom Czapnik, who inspired me with his way of bringing out practical implications of each mystical insight. I am fortunate also to have been able to work with Rabbi Aaron Parry on other projects; some of what I learned from him has been incorporated here.
I am grateful also for all those who are working so diligently to translate and interpret materials that have been inaccessible for so many decades and centuries. The number of books on Jewish mysticism available in English to the average reader today would simply astound our ancestors. Especially, I want to mention Rabbis Chaim Kramer and Avraham Greenbaum and the Breslov Research Institute, whose work in disseminating Rabbi Nachman s teachings is a model of excellence, combining thoroughness with a passion for spiritual truth. My anchor through all these studies has been the wisdom of Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook. Paulist Press published an edition of selections of his writings more than twenty-five years ago, which my husband and I received as a wedding present-now the most-thumbed book in our library. A few more selections have become available in English since then, and I have also been fortunate to study pieces of his original Hebrew writings. When more of his work is translated, surely he will be regarded as one of the great visionaries of our time.
Some of the currents of my spiritual life began to flow more surely together about ten years ago. In 1996, I met Connie Kaplan and became an avid student of her teachings about dreams and soul contracts. I became more and more certain that the information she was transmitting supported and enhanced my work in Jewish mysticism. When she began her doctoral work in Creation Spirituality in 1998, she clued me into the exciting work of mathematical cosmologist Brian Swimme and biologist Rupert Sheldrake. A while later, my colleague and friend at Claremont School of Theology, Ann Taves, introduced me to David Griffin, whose work on parapsychology and philosophy fascinated and encouraged me. All these friends were coming to their explorations of spirituality from a variety of Christian backgrounds. I had the opportunity to teach courses on theology and Jewish mysticism at the University of California, Riverside, which helped more pieces of the puzzle come together.
In the meantime, working on two books on prayer with Judy Greenfeld deepened my studies in the practical aspects of mysticism. She, along with Randi Rose, Toba August, and Joyce Kirsch, listened patiently to my early attempts to expound the Kabbalah s teachings about the sefirot as I was struggling to understand and integrate them into my life. Other students in seminars I taught with Judy and Connie gave me valuable feedback on my work. I am deeply indebted to all these people.
A few more thanks are due: to my Kabbalah class in the summer of 2000, who helped me fine-tune the presentation-especially to Dena Glaser, Sara Koplin, and Leah Schnall; to Randi, Sara, and Anne Brener, who read early versions of The Gift of Kabbalah: Discovering the Secrets of Heaven, Renewing Your Life on Earth (Jewish Lights) on which this book is based; to my students and colleagues at the Academy for Jewish Religion, California, where I have taught mysticism, liturgy, and comparative religion for the past five years; and to Stuart M. Matlins, publisher of Jewish Lights, Emily Wichland, and all the staff at Jewish Lights who helped bring this work into final production.
One caveat: I do not pretend to be an authority on Kabbalah, only an explorer with a few talents to contribute. I can say that I have thought deeply about Jewish mystical teachings and similar teachings in other traditions and have brought to bear the knowledge that is available to me at present, without attempting to make it acceptable to any particular party or denomination. Of course, I take full responsibility for any errors of fact or interpretation.
I hope this book will enable its readers to see God, the universe, and each of us participating in the unfolding of creation. My great desire is that we all can live from a vision of unbroken wholeness, to use physicist David Bohm s phrase, and of the divine oneness behind apparent multiplicity. In that way, we can perhaps hope to fulfill what the rabbinic tradition identified as the human task: to make a dwelling place for God, or, as the Hasidic masters say, to infuse the entire world with godliness.
I NTRODUCTION : A N OTE ON THE H ISTORY OF K ABBALAH
K ABBALAH, THE POPULAR TERM for Jewish mysticism, comes from a Hebrew root that means to receive ; thus, Kabbalah is the received tradition. The term was originally used to refer only to medieval Jewish mysticism, but now its usage is much expanded. Jewish mysticism originated, probably several centuries BCE, in the study of esoteric aspects of the written Torah (the first five books of the Bible), the contemplation of prophetic visions like those of Ezekiel and Isaiah, and apocalyptic traditions. Specific rabbis are known to have taught mystical theology and practice in the first centuries CE. Some scholars think that the Gnostics of the early Christian era (ca. 100-200 CE) developed their ideas from a core Jewish mystical tradition that existed before the first century. We have Jewish mystical texts that date back, in their first written forms, to the second or third century CE, and possibly earlier, but we know very little about the transmission and interpretation of these texts in that period. From the fascinating teachings that have come down to us, it is highly likely that the mystics limited their teachings to small circles because they were concerned about being considered culturally and even politically subversive in a variety of ways. 1 Yet in the long run, their thought was highly influential. The traditional Jewish prayer book, first compiled and circulated in writing in the eighth century CE, incorporates profound mystical ideas.
Whatever the reasons for the original secrecy, Kabbalah in a variety of interpretations became better known in the Middle Ages, even though its teachers still emphasiz